H.E. Ambassador MaryKay Carlson (Confirmed) (Ambassador at US Embassy in the Philippines)

H.E. Ambassador MaryKay Carlson (Confirmed)

Ambassador at US Embassy in the Philippines

H.E. Ambassador MaryKay Loss Carlson was nominated by President Biden on February 4 as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of the Philippines. She was confirmed by the Senate on May 5. Ambassador Carlson is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service with the rank of Minister-Counselor.

She previously served as the Deputy Chief of Mission and Chargé d’affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Prior to her assignment to Argentina, she served as Deputy Chief of Mission and Chargé d’affaires in New Delhi, India, and held the position of Principal Deputy Executive Secretary for the Secretary of State in Washington, D.C. A Foreign Service officer since 1985, she has served at U.S. Diplomatic Missions in China (twice), Ukraine, Hong Kong, Mozambique, Kenya, and the Dominican Republic. Her domestic assignments include Director of the Secretary’s Executive Secretariat Staff and Deputy Director of Korean Affairs.

A native of Little Rock, Arkansas, Ambassador Carlson received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish and International Studies from Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee. She holds Masters Degrees from Georgetown University (International Relations) and the National War College (National Security Studies).

H.E. Ambassador Kazuhiko Koshikawa (Confirmed) (Ambassador at Embassy of Japan in the Philippines)

H.E. Ambassador Kazuhiko Koshikawa (Confirmed)

Ambassador at Embassy of Japan in the Philippines

H.E. Ambassador Kazuhiko Koshikawa was appointed as the Ambassador of Japan to the Philippines in October 2020. Before taking this position, he became the Executive Senior Vice President of the Japan International Cooperation Agency on May 23, 2016. Mr. Koshikawa served as Ambassador to Spain between September 2014 and April 2016.

Mr. Koshikawa’s previous career includes the Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan (September 2012 - August 2014), Director-General / Assistant Minister for International Cooperation Bureau (September 2011 - August 2012), and Japanese Ambassador to Angola (August 2008 - August 2011). Previously, Mr. Koshikawa was the Deputy Vice Minister for International Affairs in the Ministry of Finance (August 2006 - July 2008). He also served as the Deputy Press Secretary for the Prime Minister Yoshihiro Mori and Junichiro Koizumi (2000 – 2001) in the Prime Minister’s office. As career member of the Senior Foreign Service, he was the Deputy-Consul General in New York (July 2001 - July 2004). At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tokyo, he served as the Director of Economic Policy Division, Economic Affairs Bureau (August 2004 – July 2006), Director of South America, Director of Central America and Carribean region (August 1997- March 1999).

Born in 1956 in Chiba Prefecture, Japan, Mr. Koshikawa graduated from the Faculty of Law of the Hitotsubashi University in Tokyo in March 1980.

Senator Risa Hontiveros (Confirmed) (Senate Deputy Minority Leader at Senate of the Philippines)

Senator Risa Hontiveros (Confirmed)

Senate Deputy Minority Leader at Senate of the Philippines

Senator Risa Hontiveros is a health and women’s rights advocate, a proud activist, and a champion of the basic sectors. She is the Philippines’ first socialist woman Senator.

Senator Risa Hontiveros is widely known and celebrated for her tireless work in promoting public health, the rights of women and other marginalized groups, and the welfare of the Filipino family.

A multi-awarded public servant, community organizer and broadcast journalist, Hontiveros served as the representative of Akbayan Partylist from 2004 to 2010. She was first elected to the Senate in 2016, and was later re-elected by voters to a new Senate term in 2022.

Hontiveros has personally championed 25 new landmark laws, including the historic Expanded Maternity Leave Law (RA 11210), which gives working moms 105 days of paid maternity leave, and the Mental Health Law (RA 11036), which provides the first legal framework over mental health care in the country.

As chairperson of the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality, Hontiveros has successfully pushed into law the Expanded Solo Parents Welfare Act (RA 11861), which provides wider social benefits to solo parents, the Safe Spaces Act (RA 11313) which protects Filipinos - especially women - from gender-based harassment in public spaces, and the Anti-Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children Law (RA 11930) which boosts government efforts to end online abuse and exploitation of Filipino children.

She is currently working to pass reforms such as the proposed Lingap Para Kay Lolo at Lola Act, which will establish a system of universal social pension for Pinoy senior citizens, and the Free Dialysis Act, which will mandate PhilHealth to provide free dialysis sessions to all senior citizens.

In addition to her legislative achievements, Hontiveros is known as a fiscalizer due to her leading role in Senate investigations exposing corruption and abuses in government. She led the Senate probe on the “pastillas” scam involving personnel of the Bureau of Immigration, which led to the filing of criminal and administrative charges against dozens of erring BI officers.

She is also recognized for her work as a peace advocate. In 2005, she earned a nomination to the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize for her contributions in the peace movement in the Philippines.

Senator Grace Poe (Confirmed) (Chairperson at Senate Committee on Economic Affairs)

Senator Grace Poe (Confirmed)

Chairperson at Senate Committee on Economic Affairs

Senator Grace Poe is a Filipino politician, businesswoman, educator, and philanthropist serving as a senator since 2013.

She made Philippine election history by garnering the highest number of votes of more than 20 million in the May 2013 elections. This overwhelming mandate inspires her to work hard towards her father’s dream of uplifting the lives of the Filipino people.

As the chairperson of the Committee on Public Information and Mass Media, she championed the passage of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, which was approved on third reading by the Senate on March 10. She believes that the attainment of a just, progressive and lasting peace in the country greatly depends upon the free flow of information to the public.

Sen. Poe is also the first lady senator to serve as chair of the committee on public order and dangerous drugs.

Over the years, she has spent her career standing for the rights of Filipino people. Making sure everyone especially children has access to quality education and proper nutrition is her major legislative priority that’s why one of the first bills she filed in the Senate was the Free Lunch Program which seeks to provide free lunch to malnourished children in all public schools nationwide.

And true to her “showbiz” roots, Poe has also filed a bill promoting Film Tourism that aims to make the Philippines into a major shooting destination for international films.

As chair of the Movie and Television Regulatory and Classification Board (MTRCB), she advocated “intelligent media viewership” instead of “censorship” and formulated a new, age-appropriate ratings system designed to empower parents to exercise caution and vigilance with the viewing habits of their children.

Senator Poe finished high school at Assumption-Makati, where she excelled in oratorical competitions and was named Captain of the Assumption Debating Team. She studied at the University of the Philippines (UP) and Boston College in Massachusetts, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree major in Political Science.

Senator Sherwin

Senator Sherwin "Win" Gatchalian (Confirmed)

Chairperson at Senate Committee on Basic Education

Senator Gatchalian, known as Win Gatchalian, is a Filipino politician and businessman serving as a Senator since 2016. A member of the Nationalist People's Coalition (NPC), he previously served as the Representative of Valenzuela's 1st district from 2001 to 2004 and from 2013 to 2016. He was the Mayor of Valenzuela from 2004 to 2013.

In 2001, Gatchalian was elected to the House of Representatives. After one term in Congress, he was elected mayor of Valenzuela. During his term as mayor, Gatchalian ended the city's garbage woes and oversaw the clearing operations in the aftermath of Typhoon Ondoy. He also implemented a number of education programs, the establishment of the Valenzuela City School of Mathematics and Science, and the accessibility to tertiary public educational institutions in the city, among others.

After serving as mayor of Valenzuela for three terms,Gatchalian ran again and was elected as 1st district Representative of Valenzuela in 2013. His return to the lower house saw Gatchalian try to implement some of Valenzuela's education reform initiatives with the filing of House Bill No. 5905, or the Free Higher Education Act.

Gatchalian then ran for and won a position in the Senate during the 2016 elections with his campaign around the promise of passing the Free Higher Education Act. In early 2017, the Senate passed the Free Higher Education Act, which Gatchalian co-authored and co-sponsored. President Rodrigo Duterte signed the measure into law as the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act (Republic Act No. 10931) in August 2017.

In addition to being chairman of the Senate Committees on Energy and Economic Affairs, he also authored a number of key measures that have been passed into law, including the Murang Kuryente Act, Electric Cooperatives Emergency and Resiliency Fund Act, the Energy Virtual One Stop Shop Act the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act, and the Mobile Number Portability Act.

In 2022, Gatchalian ran for re-election and was elected to the Senate for his second term, placing fourth in the polls.

Senator Alan Peter Cayetano (Invited) (Senator at Senate of the Philippines)

Senator Alan Peter Cayetano (Invited)

Senator at Senate of the Philippines

Senator Alan Peter Cayetano is a Filipino politician, lawyer, and diplomat serving as a Senator since 2022 and previously from 2007 to 2017. He was the Senate Minority Leader from 2010 to 2013, and later Senate Majority Leader from 2013 to 2016. He also served as the Representative of Taguig–Pateros from 1998 to 2007 and from 2019 to 2022, and was the Speaker of the House of Representatives from 2019 until his resignation in 2020. He also served as the Secretary of Foreign Affairs from 2017 to 2018 in the cabinet of President Rodrigo Duterte.

Senator Alan believes that to effectively fight corruption and strive for good governance, Filipinos must be empowered. To help realize this advocacy, he, as chairman of the Committee on Education, initiated the efforts to make educational loans and scholarships more responsive and easily accessible to deserving students even as he was steadfast in seeking more funding for basic and tertiary education, and for better compensation for public school teachers.

Under his stewardship, R.A. 9500, or the University of the Philippines Charter Act of 2008, was passed barely nine months after he assumed post.

Senator Alan again pursued his advocacy to empower Filipinos. In 2009, as chairman of the Committee on Public Information and Mass Media, he launched a campaign to make the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act become a law. He is convinced that once enacted into law, the measure shall provide the people improved access to information on matters of public concern in line with the mandate of the 1987 Constitution.

Under his stewardship, R.A. 9500, or the University of the Philippines Charter Act of 2008, was passed barely nine months after he assumed post.

Senator Alan again pursued his advocacy to empower Filipinos. In 2009, as chairman of the Committee on Public Information and Mass Media, he launched a campaign to make the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act become a law. He is convinced that once enacted into law, the measure shall provide the people improved access to information on matters of public concern in line with the mandate of the 1987 Constitution.

Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez (Confirmed) (Speaker at House of Representatives)

Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez (Confirmed)

Speaker at House of Representatives

Congressman Ferdinand Martin Romualdez is a Filipino lawyer and politician who currently serves as the House Majority Leader at the House of Representatives. Leyte 1st District Representative and House Majority leader Ferdinand Martin Romualdez’s family is an influential clan. His father, Benjamin, served as the Governor of Leyte and was appointed as the ambassador to the United States, China and Saudi Arabia. He is also the nephew of former first lady Imelda Romualdez Marcos and late Filipino president Ferdinand Marcos.

The lawyer has also authored bills that focus on overseas Filipino workers, labourers, health among many few. Romualdez owns the renowned Metro Manila broadsheet Manila Standard, the Journal Group of Publications, and the mass media firm Philippine Collective Media Corporation. He is also the National President of the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats party.

Secretary Benjamin Diokno (Confirmed) (Secretary at Department of Finance)

Secretary Benjamin Diokno (Confirmed)

Secretary at Department of Finance

Dr. Diokno is the current Secretary of the Department of Finance (DOF). Prior to his appointment as fiscal chief, he served as Governor of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) from 2019 to 2022. Under his leadership, the Philippine central bank was among the first to respond to the pandemic and deploy decisive measures to cushion the adverse impact of the pandemic and pave the road to recovery. Before taking charge of monetary affairs, he served as Budget Secretary under three presidents where he pursued an expansionary fiscal policy to finance investments in human capital development and public infrastructure.

He is Professor Emeritus of the University of the Philippines-Diliman. Over more than 40 years, he taught the following courses: Public Sector Economics, Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, Development Economics, and Special Topics (e.g., Public Enterprises
Investment and Pricing Policies; Public Sector Reforms; Local Government Finance, etc.). He was also Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (City University of Manila).

Some of the major policy reform contributions of Dr. Diokno include: providing technical assistance to the 1986 Tax Reform Program to simplify the income tax system and introduce the value-added tax, helping design the 1991 Local Government Code of the Philippines, initiating a What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get policy to streamline the release of funds, and sponsoring the internationally lauded Government Procurement Reform Act to modernize, regulate, and standardize government procurement activities in the Philippines.

He finished his Bachelor’s Degree in Public Administration (1968) and his Master’s Degree in Public Administration (1970) and Economics (1974) at the University of the Philippines. He also holds an M.A. in Political Economy (1976) from the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, USA and a Ph.D. in Economics (1981) degree from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York, USA. In 2017, he received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of the Philippines—the highest academic rank and honor conferred by the University.

Fr. Nicanor Austriaco, PhD (Confirmed) (Research Fellow at OCTA Research)

Fr. Nicanor Austriaco, PhD (Confirmed)

Research Fellow at OCTA Research

Fr. Austriaco is a Filipino-American molecular biologist and Catholic priest. He is a professor of biology and professor of theology at Providence College, in Providence, Rhode Island, and a research fellow at the Center for Theology, Religious Studies, and Ethics, at the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines.

Fr. Austriaco attended the University of Pennsylvania where he earned a Bachelor of Science Engineering (B.S.E.), summa cum laude, in 1989. He went on to earn a PhD in Biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1996, where he was a Howard Hughes Medical Institute pre-doctoral fellow in the laboratory of Professor Leonard Guarente. His doctoral research involved the characterization of the first aging genes in the budding yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Fr. Austriaco is the founder and principal investigator of the Austriaco Lab. The laboratory is located at Providence College and is primarily an undergraduate research laboratory that investigates cell death using the budding yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, as a model organism. Because of the pandemic, the lab has pivoted to developing a yeast based delivery platform for a COVID-19 vaccine that can be easily deployed in developing countries.

Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma (Confirmed) (Secretary at Department of Labor and Employment)

Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma (Confirmed)

Secretary at Department of Labor and Employment

Atty. Laguesma is a Filipino government official, lawyer, and businessman who is currently the Secretary of Labor and Employment since June 30, 2022.

He was appointed Commissioner of the Social Security Commission (SSC) representing Management group in March 2011. He is one of the representatives of the SSS in the Board and a member of the Finance Committee from April 2013 up to present. He was Secretary of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) from 1998 to 2001, and in such capacity, he was an ex-officio member of the SSC.

He was an Undersecretary of DOLE from 1990-1996, Administrator of the National Conciliation and Mediation Board 1987-1990, Regional Director, Assistant Regional Director, Executive Labor Arbiter and Labor Arbiter for the period 1976 to 1990. He likewise served as Presidential Assistant from 1996 to 1998 in the Office of the President. Aside from his previous government service and present job, he maintains a private law office, sits in the Board of Directors of First Metro Investment Corporation; and Charter Ping An Insurance Corporation which he chairs.

He is a lifetime member of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) where he served as Director and Secretary in the Quezon City Chapter from 2005-2009, a member of the Philippine Bar Association and the Quezon City Trial Lawyers League, Inc. He was likewise President of the Rotary Club of Manila in 2007-2008.

He is a graduate of Ateneo de Manila College of Law, 1971-1975 and Lyceum of the Philippines, AB Political Science, 1967-1971. He took up postgraduate studies as a Colombo Scholar in Administration Course at the Royal Institute of Public Administration, London, UK in 1985. He was a graduate of the CES Development Program Session XIX at the Development Academy of the Philippines in 1984 and subsequently bestowed upon the highest CESO rank as CESO I.

USec. Rafaelita M. Aldaba (Confirmed) (Undersecretary at Department of Trade and Industry)

USec. Rafaelita M. Aldaba (Confirmed)

Undersecretary at Department of Trade and Industry

Dr. Rafaelita “Fita” M. Aldaba is Undersecretary for the Competitiveness and Innovation Group of the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). She fulfills a key role in the formulation and implementation of the Inclusive Innovation Industrial Strategy (i3S), which puts innovation at the heart of the country’s new industrial policy. Undersecretary Aldaba is also a Governor of the Philippine Board of Investments (BOI), the country’s primary industry development arm and lead investment promotion agency (IPA).

She is leading DTI’s initiatives in preparing industries for the Fourth Industrial Revolution and digital transformation, establishing Regional Inclusive Innovation Centers (RIICs), developing new creative industries, and growing a robust startup ecosystem. She oversees the administration and operations of the Competitiveness Bureau (CB), Philippine Accreditation Bureau (PAB) and Bureau of Trade and Industrial Policy Research (BTIPR).

A researcher turned policymaker, Undersecretary Aldaba was Senior Research Fellow and Acting Vice-President of the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) prior to her previous appointment as Assistant Secretary of DTI’s Industry Development and Trade Policy Group (IDTPG). She has extensive research experience, authored various publications on development issues, and conceptualized and managed research projects with various international organizations, including The World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the Japan International Cooperation Agency, and the United States Agency for International Development.

USec. Ernesto V. Perez (Confirmed) (Officer-in-Charge (OIC), at Office of the Director General, Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA))

USec. Ernesto V. Perez (Confirmed)

Officer-in-Charge (OIC), at Office of the Director General, Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA)

Atty. Ernesto V. Perez, CPA is the Officer-in-Charge (OIC) of the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA), an agency under the Office of the President created by the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018 (R.A. 11032), pursuant to the Memorandum issued on 10 June 2022 by the former Executive Secretary, and to serve as such on a hold-over capacity in accordance with Memorandum Circular No. 3, s. 2022 dated 27 July 2022. He concurrently serves as Deputy Director General (Undersecretary) for Operations and directly supervises the ARTA Legal Group during his incumbency as OIC.

He became the first appointed official and Deputy Director General of the ARTA in December 2018.Subsequently, Usec. Perez assumed, in a concurrent capacity,as the agency’s OIC-Director General from December 18, 2018 until July9, 2019, spearheading the operationalization of the agency. Prior to ARTA, he was the Assistant Secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) –Consumer Protection Group. He served in a concurrent capacity as OIC-Director of the Bureau of Philippine Standards where he promulgated the development of 108 new standards and revision of 151 Philippine National Standards aligned with the international standards of ISO/IEC and good regulatory practices of the World Trade Organization. He likewise served as Chairperson of the DTI Steel Task Force where he led the investigation ofthe biggest steel importation in the country.

Usec. Perez has also been a Professional Lecturer for programs in Doctor and Master’s in Public Administration at the Don Honorio Ventura State University in Pampanga since August 2021. Moreover, he had been a litigation lawyer for almost thirty (30) years prior to joining government service under the Duterte Administration. Usec. Perez obtained his law degree from the Ateneo Law School in 1986 and was among the top 15 in the 1986 bar exams. He has a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and majored in Accountancy in 1980 from the University of the Philippines – Visayas and passed the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) Board examination in the same year.

Usec. Carmela I. Torres (Confirmed) (Undersecretary at Employment and Human Resource  Development Cluster, Department of  Labor and Employment (DOLE))

Usec. Carmela I. Torres (Confirmed)

Undersecretary at Employment and Human Resource Development Cluster, Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE)
Mr. Lorenzo Emanuel Guillermo (Confirmed) (Director of Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA)- Qualification Standards Office)

Mr. Lorenzo Emanuel Guillermo (Confirmed)

Director of Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA)- Qualification Standards Office

Director Lorenzo Emanuel L. Guillermo believes that it is not only what we do, but also what we do not do, for which we are accountable. We must add something that money cannot buy or measure to give real service. And that is accountability and integrity.

He serves as the Executive Director of the Qualifications and Standards Office in Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). Prior to his present assignment, he served as TESDA Provincial Director in various TESDA Provincial Offices.

His career in the civil service started in the Department of Education as a public elementary school teacher, rising through the ranks until he became an Assistant School Division Superintendent in 2002. Then he transferred to TESDA as Vocational School Superintendent in 2006 and later on promoted as Director III in 2008, and Director IV in February 2022.

He is a career executive service officer, a Philippine Quality Awards assessor, a certified lead auditor for ISO 9001:2015, and a PRC-licensed professional teacher. He is a curriculum development, training, and research specialist, and a TESDA-certified technology trainer.

Ms. Vivian S. Santos (Confirmed) (Officer-in-charge and  Deputy Director-General for  Operations of Philippine Economic  Zone Authority (PEZA))

Ms. Vivian S. Santos (Confirmed)

Officer-in-charge and Deputy Director-General for Operations of Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA)

A graduate of Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service, with a Master’s Degree in Business Administration. Joined then EPZA, now PEZA in 1984 and rose from the ranks. The last twenty
five (25) years of which were spent in the OPERATIONS. Six (6) years, from 1997 to 2004, as Officer-in-Charge of then PEZA Customs Documentation Unit (PCDU), now Joint PEZA Customs
Office (JPCO) at the Port of Manila (POM) and the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), which facilitates the clearance and release of tax and duty free import shipments of PEZA enterprises from said ports; thirteen (13) years, from 2004 to 2017, as Zone Manager of various PEZA private ecozones in the CALABARZON, which primarily oversee the administration of
incentives granted to PEZA locator enterprises; and Group Manager, Enterprise Assistance Group, in Head Office from 2017 up to September 2022, which primarily facilitates PEZA
enterprises’ various requests for Letter of Authority (LOA) pertaining to movement of goods, project coordinator for the PEZA e-Systems on the movement of ecozone goods, i.e. Electronic Import Permit System (EIPS), Automated Export Documentation System (AEDS) and the Electronic Zone Transfer System (EZTS), and regular/alternate representative of PEZA to various inter-agency collaboration on policies and procedures to enhance ease of doing business/trade
facilitation, and designated as OIC-DDG for Operations on 19 September 2022 up to present.

Mr. Jun Ito (Confirmed) (President at Toshiba Information Equipment (Phils), Inc.)

Mr. Jun Ito (Confirmed)

President at Toshiba Information Equipment (Phils), Inc.

Mr. Ito is the President of Toshiba Information Equipment (Philippines), Inc. (TIP) since July 2021.

Before joining TIP, he was the Chief Technology Officer of Storage Product Engineering under Toshiba Electronic Devices and Storage Corporation in Japan.

He is currently Board of Director of Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industries of the Philippines Inc. (JCCIPI) and Japanese Association Manila Inc. (JAMI).

Ms. Jacqueline Briones (Confirmed) (Worldwide Customers Corporate Operations Director for Cebu, Costa Rica, and China; Teradyne Cebu Site Director of Teradyne  Philippines Ltd.)

Ms. Jacqueline Briones (Confirmed)

Worldwide Customers Corporate Operations Director for Cebu, Costa Rica, and China; Teradyne Cebu Site Director of Teradyne Philippines Ltd.

Ms. Briones is currently Teradyne's Worldwide Customers Corporate Operations Director for Cebu, Costa Rica, and China, and the Teradyne Cebu Site Director, overseeing approximately 1650 people under her wing.

She has juggled several hats. She has been the VisMin Chairperson of the Semiconductor Electronics Industry in the Philippines Foundation Inc (SEIPI). She is a valuable member of the Board of Directors in the Mactan Export Processing Zone Chamber of Exporters and Manufacturers (MEPZCEM) for 11 years. She is currently the president of MEPZCEM and has held leadership positions in MEPZCEM for the last 7 years.

She graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering at St. Louis University in Baguio and a gold medalist for her Masters in Business Admin in Ateneo. The only Teradyne Senior Manager in Asia who pursued and finished the Teradyne Management Program and earned her Executive Masters in Management at Babson University in Massachusetts.

Mr. Rhett Ramos (Confirmed) (Director for Asia IT and Smart  Manufacturing of Allegro MicroSystems)

Mr. Rhett Ramos (Confirmed)

Director for Asia IT and Smart Manufacturing of Allegro MicroSystems

Mr. Ramos is the Director for Asia IT and Smart Manufacturing at Allegro MicroSystems. He is also the Chairman of SEIPI’s Industry 4.0 Technical Working Group.

He has more than 20 years of experience in semiconductor and high-tech manufacturing working for companies such as Amkor Technology, Cypress Semiconductor and REMEC Broadband Wireless.

After a brief stint setting up the IT delivery capabilities of UnitedHealth Group in the Philippines, he joined Allegro MicroSystems in 2014 and has transformed the company’s manufacturing capabilities from a traditional, manual-based production facility to a digitally centered organization.

He is a graduate of Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering.

Engr. Michael Agustin (Confirmed) (Director for Regional Enterprise Sales and Public Sector of Globe Business)

Engr. Michael Agustin (Confirmed)

Director for Regional Enterprise Sales and Public Sector of Globe Business

Engr Agustin is the Director for Regional Enterprise Sales and Public Sector in Globe Business.

He has over 25 years of professional experience in the Telecommunications Industry covering Sales and Engineering roles. He has a Bachelor of Science in Electronics and Communications Engineering from the University of Santo Tomas and is a licensed Engineer.

Mr. Jesus

Mr. Jesus "Nonoy" Ativo (Confirmed)

Consulting Lead for Manufacturing & Logistics (B2B) at ePLDT

Mr. Jesus “Nonoy” Ativo has more than 20 years of work experience gained from the food service, fast-moving consumer goods, and manufacturing industries.

His main role in the PLDT Enterprise is to translate customer plans and objectives into digital transformation roadmaps. Nonoy enables sales and technical teams to navigate the manufacturing and business environment of our customers to provide the most appropriate solutions.

Nonoy graduated from the University of the Philippines – Diliman, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Geography. He advocates for the sharing of new technologies so that businesses can progress to Industry 4.0 in the Philippines.

Mr. JongWon Seo (Confirmed) (Senior Director, Engineering Division of Amkor Technology Philippines)

Mr. JongWon Seo (Confirmed)

Senior Director, Engineering Division of Amkor Technology Philippines

Mr. JongWon has been working at the semiconductor backend industry for more than 20 years specialising in assembly packaging engineering area.

He started his career at Amkor Technology Korea in year 2000 after graduating Materials Science and Engineering in Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea.

In 2014, he was dispatched to the Philippines to support their sister company, Amkor Technology Philippines. Since then he has been working in Amkor Technology Philippines for over 18 years.

In 2010, he was appointed as the Engineering Director of Amkor Technology Philippines, working for the growth of the semiconductor industry of the Philippines.

Mr. Danny Javid (Confirmed) (Supply Chain Director of Gruppo EMS, Inc.)

Mr. Danny Javid (Confirmed)

Supply Chain Director of Gruppo EMS, Inc.

Mr. Javid has more than 40 years of highly successful management & leadership experience holding key executive positions in multi-national and local companies. He is currently the Supply Chain Director of Gruppo EMS, Inc. He is also the head of the SEIPI Technical Working Group on Parts Localization that continues SEIPI’s initiatives to help the economy grow more by increasing local sourcing capacities of critical commodities and lessening reliance on imported materials.

Dr. Tirso Ronquillo (Confirmed) (President at Philippine Association of  State Universities and Colleges  (PASUC) and Batangas State  University)

Dr. Tirso Ronquillo (Confirmed)

President at Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges (PASUC) and Batangas State University

Dr. Ronquillo finished BS Electronics and Communications Engineering degree, Cum Laude, from Batangas State University in 1995. In 2003, he finished MS in Electronics and Communications Engineering, with Distinction, from De La Salle University, Manila. Dr. Ronquillo completed his PhD in Management Degree at Akamai University, Hawaii, USA. He was recognized as the Most Outstanding Electronics Engineer in the field of academe by the Institute of Electronics Engineers of the Philippines in 2013 and was conferred ASEAN Engineer in 2012. From 2014 to present, Dr. Ronquillo is serving as President of Batangas State University. He is currently the President of the Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges. Dr. Ronquillo pioneered the establishment of the Knowledge, Innovation, Science and Technology (KIST) Park, the first University based technopark in the country of its kind that is proclaimed by the President and registered by the Philippine Economic Zone Authority as a Special Economic Zone. He spearheaded outcomes-based accreditation of engineering programs in SUCs making Batangas State University as the first and only state university whose Engineering, IT and Computer Science programs accredited by the U.S. Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET).

Recently, through Dr Ronquillo's strategic leadership, Batangas State University has been declared as Philippines' National Engineering University, a pioneering legislative recognition of higher educations in the country according to specific niche areas of competence.

Fidel R. Nemenzo, DSc (Confirmed) (University Chancellor at University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD))

Fidel R. Nemenzo, DSc (Confirmed)

University Chancellor at University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD)

Dr. Nemenzo is a Professor of Mathematics at the College of Science. He was appointed 11th Chancellor of the University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD) by the UP Board of Regents at its 1350th meeting on Feb. 3, 2020. He obtained his Master of Science and Doctor of Science degrees from Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan in 1992 and 1998, respectively. His research areas are number theory, elliptic curves, and coding theory. Among the awards he has received are the Achievement Award in Mathematics from the National Research Council of the Philippines (NRCP; 2013) and the UPD Gawad Chanselor para sa Pinakamahusay na Guro (2005). He was president of both the Southeast Asian Mathematical Society (2010–2012) and the Mathematical Society of the Philippines (2004–2010). Nemenzo has held research and teaching posts in Singapore, Tokyo, Amsterdam, Munich, and Phnom Penh. He was elected to the Governing Board of the NRCP in 2019 and chairs its Mathematics Division. As Vice Chancellor for Research and Development from 2014 to February 2020, he provided policy and resource support to research, creative work, extension, and technology transfer activities at UPD. From 2017 to 2019, he served as convenor of the Data Science for Public Policy Program of the UP Center for Integrative Development Studies. He joined the UPD Institute of Mathematics as a faculty member in 1992.

Engr. Lorena Ilagan (Confirmed) (College of Engineering Dean at University of Perpetual Help System DALTA)

Engr. Lorena Ilagan (Confirmed)

College of Engineering Dean at University of Perpetual Help System DALTA

Lorena Ilagan has practiced engineering as professional electronics engineer for more than 20 years specializing in the field of communications engineering, machine learning, engineering education and project management.

She finished her BS in Electronics and Communications Engineering at Mapua Institute of Technology and MS in Electronics Engineering at De La Salle University Manila. She is a candidate for graduation also at De La Salle University Manila taking PhD in Electronics Engineering and currently taking a Post-Doctoral Degree on Electrical Engineering at Universiti Technologi Mara in Malaysia specializing in Satellite Engineering.
She is an active advocate of Internet of Things and won Best Paper and Best Presenter awards for the said field at the PSECE ANTS of SEIPI or the Semiconductor and Electronics Industries of the Philippines in 2018 where she is also an active member. She was also granted as Project Leader a P3.2M funding from PCIEERD through the CRADLE Program in 2019 and P4.9 funding for Institutional Development Plan for DOST. She was also awarded International Fellow of the European Alliance for Innovation for the International Conferences which she hosted for the Philippines in the field of science and innovation. She is also one of the Board of Advisers of the Society of Digital Information and Wireless Communications. In her profession as an academician, she was awarded the Most Outstanding Dean by the DALTA Group of Companies and now appointed as the Cluster Director for Technology Programs such as College of Engineering, Computer Studies, Maritime Education, School of Aviation and Technology Programs. She runs various projects for the University like the ALTA I-Hub Project Director and Program Integrator of Digitech Program

Fr. Nicanor Austriaco, PhD (Confirmed) (Fellow at OCTA Research)

Fr. Nicanor Austriaco, PhD (Confirmed)

Fellow at OCTA Research

Fr. Austriaco is a Filipino-American molecular biologist and Catholic priest. He is a professor of biology and professor of theology at Providence College, in Providence, Rhode Island, and a research fellow at the Center for Theology, Religious Studies, and Ethics, at the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines.

Austriaco attended the University of Pennsylvania where he earned a Bachelor of Science Engineering (B.S.E.), summa cum laude, in 1989. He went on to earn a PhD in Biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1996, where he was a Howard Hughes Medical Institute pre-doctoral fellow in the laboratory of Professor Leonard Guarente. His doctoral research involved the characterization of the first aging genes in the budding yeast.

In 1997, after a brief fellowship at the Ludwig Institute of Cancer Research at the University College London, he entered the Order of Friars Preachers. He attended the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, D.C., where he earned his Master of Divinity degree and Licentiate in Sacred Theology. He completed his Doctorate in Sacred Theology at the University of Fribourg in 2015. Austriaco earned an M.B.A. degree from Providence College in 2020.

Since 2005, Austriaco has served on the faculty of Providence College. In the same year, he became an investigator at the Rhode Island Idea Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (RI-INBRE) Program. He is also the founding director of ThomisticEvolution.org, which seeks to promote a Catholic approach to understanding evolution in the light of faith.[2] He is co-author of a book on Thomistic evolution.[3] Austriaco is currently a Visiting Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines. As a fellow of the OCTA Research Team, he has been interviewed by Filipino TV channels on different aspects of COVID-19.[6]

In addition to his other work and publications, Austriaco is the founder and principal investigator of the Austriaco Lab that investigates cell death using the budding yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, as a model organism. Because of the pandemic, the lab has pivoted to developing a yeast based delivery platform for a COVID-19 vaccine that can be easily deployed in developing countries.

Mr. Glenn Everett (Confirmed) (Chairman at Semiconductor and Electronics Industries of the Philippines Foundation, Inc. (SEIPI))

Mr. Glenn Everett (Confirmed)

Chairman at Semiconductor and Electronics Industries of the Philippines Foundation, Inc. (SEIPI)
Dr. Dan Lachica (Confirmed) (President at Semiconductor and Electronics Industries of the Philippines Foundation, Inc. (SEIPI))

Dr. Dan Lachica (Confirmed)

President at Semiconductor and Electronics Industries of the Philippines Foundation, Inc. (SEIPI)